Erman



(No Model.)

W. V. AGKERMAN.

EASEL.

No. 404,146. Patented May 28, .1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

\VASHINGTON V. ACKERIWIAN, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO F. \V. DEVOE& 00., OF SAME PLACE.

EASEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,146, dated May 28,1889.

Application filed July 14, 1888. Serial No. 279,969. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WASHINGTON V. AcK- ERMAN, of the city and county ofNew York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedEasel, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is in part to provide an easel to whichcasters may be applied in a substantial manner to facilitate itsmovement over the floor of a studio or other apartment, and in part toprovide a con veniently portable folding easel.

To the said ends the invention consists in certain combinations ofdetails, which I will now proceed to describe with reference to theaccompanying drawings, and of which I will point out the novel featuresin claims.

spective View of an easel embodying my invention in an upright extendedposition, as when in use. Fig. 2 represents a front view of the sameeasel folded, and Fig. 3 a side view of the same folded easel.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

The front of my improved easel has two legs, A A, diverging toward thebottom when the easel is extended in the usual manner. In the examplerepresented in the drawings the front legs are separated at the top by afront spreader piece or head, B, to which they are hinged to provide forthe lateral spread of their feet. The said legs A A are represented asbraced laterally by a transverse swinging bar, 0, hinged to one leg by apin or pivot, a, and provided at the other end with a hook, whichengages a pin, a, in the other leg, and which may be disengaged atpleasure when the easel is to be folded. The two front legs, A A, arerepresented as hinged at their feet or lower ends to a base to providefor folding and adjusting them. This base is represented as consistingof two side bars or base-pieces, D D, and abase spreader-piece, E.

F represents a back leg made extensible longitudinally by a slidingjoint of suitable construction-for example, as illustrated in thedrawingsin which the two pieces or parts I) and c of the back leg slidefreely one upon the other. The straps or bands (Z (7,

preferably of metal, are fastened to the part b, and the part c isfitted to slide freely in the loops of the straps or bands.

8 is a tightening-screw in the part b, the

end of which pressing against the part c between the bands (l willprevent it from moving in the straps or bands (Z (Z when the length ofthe extensible back leg, F, has been suitably adjusted.

The extensible back leg, F, is hinged at top to the front, and at bottomto the base, and the angle of inclination of the front can be regulatedby extending or contracting the leg F longitudinally. In the examplerepresented in the drawings, the leg F is hinged at top to the frontspreader-piece, B, of the front, and at the bottom to the basespreader-piece E of the base. In the drawings, Figure 1 represents aper- *fff indicate holes in legs A A for receivin g the supporting-pinsg g, by means of which the height of a canvas or picture may be adjusted by the person using the easel to suit his convenience;

h h h indicate casters applied underneath the base to facilitate themovement of the easel about the floor or ground upon which it may rest,

2' i indicate the hinges by which the front is attached to the base.hinges t i are connected with the front legs by pivotal connections 1't, to permit the movement of the said legs toward and from each otherwhile connected with the foldin base of the said hinges 'i i.

J is a flat hinge-plate, preferably of metal, which, with pivot-screws7t 7t 7;, form the top hinges of the front.

l Zindicate the hinges by which the extensible back leg is attached tothe top and base, m the hinge-plate, and n n the pivot-screws of thehinge at the back of the base connecting the base-pieces D D to the basespreaderpicce E.

To fold the easel, the extensible back leg has to be contracted inlength to permit the front and base to fold toward each other on thehinges e' i. The swinging brace C is first unhooked from the pin a andturned upward about the pivot a on the opposite leg, A, until,coinciding longitudinally with that leg, the fastening-screw e is thenloosened and the part c of the back leg slid upward on the The upperleaves of 7 part b, bringing the back end of the base upward toward thefront, and the feet of the front legs are afterward brought toward eachother until the several parts are brought into the folded positionsrepresented in Figs. 2 and 3. The spreader-pieces Band E serve as stopsto the front legs and base-pieces when the case] is extended for use,and also serve as holders for the hinge-plates j and 7%.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a folding easel, of a front portion having ajoint at its upper end to permit of its being spread and contractedlaterally at its bottom, a base hinged at its front to-the bottom of thesaid portion and having a joint at its back to permit of its front partbeing spread and contracted laterally, and an extensible back leg hingedat its upper end to the upper part of said front portion and at itslower end to the back of the base, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, in a folding easel, of a front portion composed of aspreader piece or head, and two legs pivoted at their upper ends theretoto provide for their lateral angular movement, a base composed of aspreaderpiece and two bars pivoted thereto and hinged at their frontends to the bottom of the front legs, and an extensible back leg hingedatits upper end to the head of the front portion and at its lower end tothe spreader-piece of the base, substantially as herein described.

3. The combination, in a folding easel, of laterally-folding front legs,a laterally-folding base hinged at its front to the said legs, and anextensible back leg connecting said base and front portion, and castersapplied to said base, one under or near each of said front and backlegs, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination, in a folding easel, with front legs having a pivotalconnection at their upper ends, and the folding base composed of twobars having a pivotal connection at their rear ends, of the hinges z 1',connecting the said frontlegs and bars and having their upper leavesconnected with the front legs by pivotal connections 0; 'i, to permitthe movement of the said legs toward and from each other while connectedwith the folding base, substantially as described.

WASHINGTON V. AOKERMAN.

\Vitnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, JOSEPH WV. ROE.

